Various embodiments of a breach detection system for a container are described herein. In particular, the embodiments described herein relate to improved panels and connectors for a breach detection system for a container.
There has been a recognition that the United States is at risk of the delivery of weapons of mass destruction to its ports by enemies employing a strategy of hiding such a weapon in a shipping container. Various schemes have been proposed for x-raying containers or otherwise examining containers as they are loaded on ships in foreign ports. Such schemes, however, can be very limited in effectiveness since they can be defeated with x-ray shielding, vulnerable to compromise by rogue employees and the contents of the containers altered after they are loaded in a foreign port.
Approximately sixteen million twenty foot containers are in use throughout the world. Additionally, approximately 40 percent of the personnel that load and off-load these containers come from nations with ties to terrorism. Bribery and sabotage are common throughout the shipping industry, including foreign government officials, shipping companies, and freight forwarders. The U.S. government estimates that large quantities of contraband material pass through the maritime commerce into most ports in the U.S.
Shipping containers in current use are primarily made of steel and have considerable drawbacks. The steel containers increase shipping weight, wear out quickly, and can be infiltrated by simple means. Walls or panels made of material other than steel have been considered, but they are typically not made of weldable material. Without a strong weld between adjacent wall panels and between wall panels and the container frame, a container is susceptible to intrusion.
To a limited degree, the notion of enclosing detecting devices, such as sensors or processors, in containers, which communicate with external systems, has been implemented in non-secure applications. For example, Sensitech, based in Beverly, Mass. (www.sensitech.com), provides solutions in the food and pharmaceuticals fields that are used for monitoring temperature and humidity for goods, in-transit, in-storage, and display. Such temperature and humidity monitors are typically placed in storage and transit containers to monitor if desired conditions are maintained.
Such data collection however, is not generally considered sensitive with respect to security issues. Rather, it is used for ensuring that products in a container do not spoil by being subjected to unfavorable temperature and humidity conditions. Secure communications, tamper resistance, and detection are not particularly relevant issues in such settings. Additionally, such monitors do not monitor for the presence of suspicious content or materials, no matter where they may be introduced in the chain.
Even if detectors are introduced into a container and interfaced to an external system, terrorists, violent extremists, and/or criminals may employ any of a variety of strategies to defeat such a detection system. For instance, an enemy may attempt to shield the suspicious materials or activities from the detectors; defeat the communication interface between the detectors and the external system, so that the interface does not report evidence of suspicious materials or activities sensed by the detectors; disconnect the detectors from the interface; surreptitiously load a container that contains an atomic weapon, but that does not contain detecting devices, onto a container ship; overcome external systems so that they incorrectly report on the status of the detectors.
Tamper Proof Container Systems Corporation of Belmont, Mass. (www.tamperproofcontainersystems.com) discloses an anti-intrusion product that uses a polyester mesh with an insulated copper wire, embedded in an elastomer, which fully lines the existing internal surfaces of a cargo container. This system adds weight to the container and may be susceptible to forklift damage since the sensors are bonded to the inside surface of the container.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/866,655 to Habib J. Dagher et al., incorporated herein by reference, discloses various embodiments of a panel comprising multi-layered composite material that can be welded to other components. For example, the composite panel may be welded to the frame of a container or to other like panels to form a tamper-resistant container, such as a shipping container. The composite panel may also contain embedded processors and sensors that can detect intrusion into or tampering of the container.